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The threat of our permanent national security state was, for decades, something the Left cared about. Now the FBI and CIA, we’re told by some ostensibly left media, are our allies.

There is no doubt this moment calls for a powerful mobilization against the Trump administration and the ruling-class, white-supremacist interests it represents. But establishment Democrats' strategy of hitching their “resistance” campaign to Russiagate is misguided and dangerous. By demanding Trump prove he’s tough on Russia, the same Democrats who warn that Trump is dangerous and unhinged are asking him to oversee an even more bellicose foreign policy. The net effect has been to push the U.S. government to take a more confrontational stance toward Russia and other geopolitical foes and—ultimately—expand its military empire.

Whatever one thinks about the aims and scope of Russian interference, the evidence is undeniable: Democrats’ overwhelming focus on Russia has led directly to a significant—and measurable—military buildup. The $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019 is massive, marking an $81 billion increase over 2017 (adjusted for inflation). The bill explicitly targets Russia and China. From the outset, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle cited the threat of Russian interference to argue in favor of the NDAA. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, gushed, “This bill continues the absolutely critical work of pushing back against President Putin.” Smith, who earlier that month called for an impeachment investigation of Trump, appeared eager and willing to hand the president a giant check for war.

Bipartisan lawmakers handed a major victory to Trump by passing the defense bill, which includes $6.5 billion to fully fund the “European Deterrence Initiative” to build the military capabilities of European states near Russia. The legislation also instructs Secretary of Defense James Mattis to conduct a feasibility study on whether a “permanently stationed United States Army brigade combat team in Poland would enhance deterrence against Russian aggression.”

Most alarmingly, the NDAA earmarks $21.9 billion for nuclear weapons programs and $65 million to develop “a lowyield nuclear warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.” This is another win for the Trump administration, which has called for more “flexible” and “loweryield” nuclear arms, largely to counter Russia. (The United States and Russia own over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.)

This confrontational positioning has ramifications far beyond Russia. In July 2017, for example, the House and Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of bipartisan legislation that bundled sanctions against Russia with sanctions against Iran and North Korea—even at the risk of upending the nuclear deal with Iran. To justify this move, Democrats cited Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Sen. Dianne Feinstein toldThe Intercept, “I just looked at the sanctions, and it’s very hard, in view of what we know just happened in this last election, not to move ahead with [sanctions].”

Meanwhile, other election scandals, from voter suppression to the fact the electoral college overrode the popular vote, garner far less scrutiny and outrage. As for collusion with foreign governments, leaders of the “resistance” aren’t exactly lining up to examine evidence that Trump’s transition team colluded with the Israeli government to defend illegal settlements in Palestine.

The nonstop specter of Russian “active measures” has all but ended any discussion of post-Snowden reforms to curtail dragnet government surveillance. The threat of our permanent national security state was, for decades, something the Left cared about. Now the FBI and CIA, we’re told by some ostensibly left media, are our allies.

There may well be something to the Russian influence story and the Trump administration should, of course, be held to standards of utmost transparency on this and every other matter. But Democrats and their loyal pundits are pegging their anti-Trump strategy to Russiagate, and not to the multitude of other scandals, precisely because Russia is a historic geopolitical foe—a convenient bad guy that can be invoked to demand the heightened national security state many centrist Democrats were already calling for. Some of these resistance heroes, like Sens. Chuck Schumer and Feinstein, brought us the war in Iraq, the occupation of Afghanistan, the war on Yemen and the intervention in Libya.

At times, Trump indeed expresses a strange affection for Putin—an affection animated, at least in part, by a Steve Bannon-esque love of strong white men. But then he turns on a dime and threatens escalation against Russia and its allies. It’s a bankrupt politics to reflexively advocate the opposite of whatever Trump says; we must look beyond the inflammatory rhetoric and examine the material policies our government is implementing. A sober assessment reveals that heightened tensions with Russia are fueling a measurable U.S. military buildup backed by Republicans and Democrats. Within this tinderbox, the Left should reject any expansion of U.S. empire, and challenge any “resistance” campaign that pushes Trump toward militarization.

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Posted by Samira G. Underwood on 2018-11-04 06:58:31

This is a great review of Democratic aggressive tendencies for the sake of empire. Ms. Lazare reports a sanctions bill in July 2017 that included Iran and could only encourage those who wanted to sink the Iran nuclear accord. A link to an article on this congressional action would be greatly appreciated.

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Posted by Vilma D. Stutzman on 2018-10-21 03:54:14

the claim that there may or may not be a plethora of facts forming rock-solid evidence of criminal conspiracy amounts to an attempt to brush aside what is a near-certainty which led to a criminal indictment, Bill.

there are not a hell of a lot of more important things to investigate in terms of our national security.

lazare is a dipshht

Posted by fuster on 2018-10-19 16:08:08

Jesse in twenty. Looks like he's going to compete for the Green Party nomination.

Posted by Bill Rood on 2018-10-19 11:15:38

fuster, how precisely does, "There may well be something to the Russian influence story..." equate to "observing the facts..." which you presumably believe are unequivocal? What she expressed was being unsure, but being open to the possibility should proof be demonstrated, while at the same time believing there are a hell of a lot more important things to investigate, many of which would implicate Democrats.

Posted by Bill Rood on 2018-10-19 11:14:42

Both parties eat from the same plate, Clinton and Trump had the same views on many subjects. Neither party listens to the people just special interests which many times go against our values. We need to cut our DOD by 50%. The smoke and mirrors on gun con control is an weird fixture. Eighty present of all gun deaths are gang related. In Mexico and Central America over 80% of gun deaths are gang related. Why do we pay lip service to our huge gang program, these are acts of domestic terror. And as far as Russia, how many times have we messed with elections in Russia or other countries. If we mess with countries should they not have the right to mess with us. Good point

Posted by 6384601 on 2018-10-18 12:46:07

the lack of logic and sense in everything that Lazare writes is tiresome.

how in hell can someone observe the facts concerning unlawful interference in our elections by the hostile regime in nRussia ...AND USE THAT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR MILITARY BUDGET??????

there are plenty of reasons to object to the budget but pointing out that we're under stealth attck sure aint one of them.

lazare seems to be a little bit stupid

Posted by fuster on 2018-10-18 10:06:17

Does anyone (anyone?) think that the DNC works for different corporate owners than the RNC? They are both owned by MIC corporations who profit from war and arms sales.